The Otterbox Agility System: Turning iPads and tablets into superheroes

If you thought that encasing your tablet in an Otterbox case was like giving it a bulletproof vest, the new Otterbox Agility System is sheathing it in an entire Iron Man style exoskeleton armor system.

(However it does not come with Robert Downey Jr. inside, nor an onboard weapon system, sorry.)

Essentially you start by popping your tab in the Otterbox Agility Shell as your foundation. Right now it’s available for any iPad, iPad Air, iPad Mini, and on its way for the Galaxy Tab 3, Galaxy Note 10.1, and the Note 8, so sit tight Samsung fans. The shell alone (seen at top) makes your tablet fairly impervious to whatever clumsy handed toddlers – or parents or spouses or selves – can dish out. But it doesn’t end there.

Once the Shell is on, you have this whole cool range of interchangeable accessories to suit various needs that all pop and and off via the port on the back of the Shell. See? Iron Man.

The AgilityFolio is comparable to the basic iPad folio only thicker,and more rigid. It’s the basics; just there to protect the screen, while the Shell does the hard work. The Agility Portfolio, on the other hand, is an incredibly handsome if tough leather case that complete sheaths your tablet, including all the sides; a savvy choice if you’re using your tablet for business. Let’s just say it would look pretty swanky on a mahogany table.

My favorite element is probably the Agility Dock which, like all other other accessories, I just pop my iPad into, no fuss. At this point, my daughter’s eyes opened wide and she went “ooooh..!” clearly imagining just how easy the incline would make it to watch Minecraft videos. In fact, while both cases give you a couple of incline options, the dock is hinged, allowing you to set it at absolutely any angle at all, sturdily, and that’s the first time I’ve seen that.

If you want more out of your dock, you can opt for the Agility Power Dock which is coming soon. In addition to the whole propping your tablet at the exact perfect angle thing, it plugs into your outlet so you can charge your tablet along with a couple other devices. So smart.

Last, there’s a wall mount which is perfect for a home office. Or even a kitchen, if you tend to use your tablet for recipes, like so many of us, but would rather keep it off the counter and away from the raw chicken.

Conveniently, you can buy the components in a variety of packages – the Starter ($69.95 for iPad Mini; $79.95 for other iPads) comes with the Shell and Folio; or at the high end, scoop up the Premium package at $149-169 for the Shell, Leather Portfolio, Wall Mount and Dock all together.

It’s an Otterbox party!

The colors are fairly basic right now with shades of gray and black, but as a New Yorker, eh, that’s probably what I’d pick anyway. The one real drawback: The Agility Shell alone makes your tablet weigh a ton, which does defeat the purpose of my iPad Air to some degree. If you want something lightweight for toting with you everywhere you go, this might not be the case system for you. But for home or office use, for kid use, and even for a little travel thrown in, I love the versatility you get, the protection, and even the look. In fact, I feel totally confident with the entire Otterbox Agility system housing my precious, and that includes the wall mount. That’s something I’ve never said about a wall mount before.